Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Does it get anymore nightmarish than this?

If you're a criminal in China, you'll want to avoid its new death buses, vehicles that carry out executions while streaming live video of them, then provide some privacy for organ harvesting.

The buses, of which over 40 are currently in use, are replacing firing squads as China's preferred method of execution. The buses provide a setup for lethal injections, and the acts are carried out on streaming video so local authorities can observe and ensure that everything is done legally.

This kind of thing makes my very psyche recoil. It's like some insane mashup of "Brazil's" industrious dystopia and the turbo-charged nihilism of "Mad Max."

5 comments:

Organ harvesting from executed prisoners condemned by the monolithic communist state? On a fucking bus?

Wonder if party officials and the rich get first dibs on the organs. Not enough organs to go around to the highest bidder or most powerful political brokers?

Why, just use the same unitary statist means to condemn more prisoners to death, and voila, more organs to go around! Sounds like a profitable state growth industry, with all the convenience of one stop shopping---unless you're a prisoner, of course.

Sounds like a bit of a conflict of interest, though, ethically speaking. Just a tad. To say the least. Oh, and quite monstrous.

Mao would be so proud of this advance in utilitarian efficiency and China's continuing enlightened cultural revolution.

Wow. I didn't know it was that bad.From the original article: "Amnesty International estimates there were at least 1,770 executions in China in 2005 — vs. 60 in the United States, but the group says on its website that the toll could be as high as 8,000 prisoners."

Add the buses, the streaming video, the organ harvesting and this becomes what would otherwise be an unrealistic horror flick if it wasn't reality.

"Frankly, there's nothing worse (aside from death, global famine, nuclear disaster and all-round armageddon) than seeing players in the UFO field fawning all over their peers at conferences as they seek acceptance into the ufological sand-pit by saying the 'right thing' to the 'right people.' Thankfully, there's none of that in Mac's world."